T2.34 - fact sheet http://tyndall.e-collaboration.co.uk/publications/fact_sheets/untitled/t2_...

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Identifying climate change adaptation issues of justice and

equity in developing countries
Climate change raises questions about fairness due to the uneven distribution of impacts and how resources are allocated
to adapt. There are winners and losers when people adapt spontaneously to such impacts or when assistance to adapt is
given. Developing countries, and in particular the poor people in those countries, are expected to suffer most. These justice
and equity implications of climate change and its impacts need to be identified so they can be addressed when adaptation
strategies are developed at the international, regional and national level. This task is becoming more urgent with the
increasing attention given to adaptation under the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) and the recent
creation of new funding mechanisms to assist adaptation.

The researchers in this project are developing a framework to assess the equity and justice implications of adaptation to
the impacts of climate change. The framework will be tested by analysing adaptation needs and activities in three Least
Developed Countries: Tuvalu (a Pacific small island state), Bangladesh (an Asian low-lying country), and Tanzania (an
African country). The researchers will use the results of these studies to extend the framework to facilitate the analysis of
the fairness for vulnerable communities of adaptation decisions made under the FCCC, as well as decisions made as part
of national government plans and adaptation by individuals.

The results will provide an understanding of justice and equity concerns in the planning and implementation of adaptation
projects in developing countries, with a focus on countries most vulnerable to climate change due to lack of wealth,
education, skills and infrastructure. The results will be disseminated through direct input to project developments at the
case study sites, links with NGOs and negotiators in developing countries, and presentation of results at major international
meetings. The analytical framework will also be used in the Tyndall Centre's Integrated Assessment Model.

A new Tyndall project is providing a framework for incorporating justice and equity considerations into decision-making for
climate change adaptation plans.
Credit: © Neil Adger

More information

Contact the lead investigator of Project T2.34 (A strategic assessment of equity and justice implications of adaptation):
Mr Jürgen Lefevere
Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development (FIELD), 52-53 Russell Square, London WC1B 4HP, UK
Phone: +44 (0) 207 637 7950; Fax: +44 (0) 207 637 7951
Email: Jurgen.lefevere@field.org.uk

Other researchers involved in this project are:

Dr Saleemul Huq, Climate Change Programme, International Institute for Environment and Development
Dr Neil Adger and Dr Jouni Paavola, Tyndall Centre and CSERGE, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East
Anglia

Project duration:
July 2002 to December 2003

Useful web sites:

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T2.34 - fact sheet http://tyndall.e-collaboration.co.uk/publications/fact_sheets/untitled/t2_...

The Tyndall Centre: www.tyndall.ac.uk

FIELD Climate and Energy Programme: www.field.org.uk/fieldmain/climate.htm
UEA School of Environmental Sciences: www.uea.ac.uk/env
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: unfccc.int IPCC special report on regional impacts:
www.grida.no/climate/ipcc/regional
IPCC Third Assessment Report: www.ipcc.ch/activity/tar.htm
EcoEquity climate justice: www.ecoequity.org

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